Locomotive-boiler furnace.



C. B. MOORE.

LOCOMOTIVE BOILER FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.I8, 1911.

1,138,048. Patented May 4, 1915. my. 5.

UNITED STATES PATENT ormcn.

CHARLES B. MOORE, 0F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,

TO AMERICAN ARCH COMPANY, OF NEW YORK,

WARE.

N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- LOCOMOTIVE-BOILER FURNACE.

Patented May 4, 1915.

. Application filed December 18, 1911. Serial N 0. 666,336.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. Moons, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Evanston, county of Cook, and

5 State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Locomotive- Boiler Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in locomotive boiler furnaces and has special reference to improvements in refractory .bafiles, barriers or walls commonly called arches, for the fireboxes of locomotive boilers.

The general objects of my invention are to provide a refractory arch for locomotive boilers equipped with a plurality of inclined arch tubes, of light .weight and low cost; to provide an arch that can be easily and quickly installed, and which shall find its support upon said tubes; to provide an arch which shall be composed of'a plurality of brick members so interlocked with each other and wedged between the side sheets of the sides in an archwhich, in a practical sense,

provides a plurality of gas mixing ockets or cavities in combination with'deecting walls or surfaces occupying planes dlsposed at various angles in the'firebox which not,

only deflect the ases of combustion out of the direct path rom the grate to the flues, -but also enhance the commingling and admixing of the various portions 0 the gaseous body, to the end that substantially per feet combustion is maintained in the firebox.

,A further object of, lily-invention is .to provide an arch, as above outlined, which, while finding itssupport upon the inclined 'arch' tubes,- will present fsui'iflkes'. lon 'tu dinallyw inclined f at angles-variant. .from t e inclination of the tubes,'and an-arch sin' which tions thereof will be raisedabove. thejp-ane of the tubes,"- to the end r'the combustion I below/the arch he enlarged.

Fieiy invention consists; the various as- 66 semblages and. oombinationsfofelements by:;

firebox that the arch as a 'whole will be searts of which canbe read- 7 which the above objects are obtained, together with others hereinafter appearing and all as hereinafter set forth and par- .line 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail transverse sectional view on the line 44 of Fig. 1; and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are perspective views of some of the brick forms or patterns used in the construction of the arch.

It will at once be understood that while Ihave limited theillustration and description of -my invention to so-called front arches, my invention is not thus limited as it is capable of embodiment in' arches of dif' ferent details of construction and occupying various positions within the firebox.

So-called front arches are arranged or positioned between the grate and the flue sheet. for the purpose of deflecting the firebox gases to the rear of the firebox, not only to retain them in the firebox for a time suflicient to complete their combustion, but also for the purposeof distributing the heat of combustion over the entire inner surface of the firebox and especially throughout the whole length of the crown sheet. These arches usually occupy an inclinedv position close to or abutting the flue sheet and when installed inffireboxes equipped with circuuponthese tubes it sometimes occurs on account ofthe low position of the tubes that the space beneath the arch is too contracted for the'best combustion effects 'to be attained. One of the particular features of my invention resides in the means which I employ for raising a portion of the arch to" increase this otherwise contracted space.

' .The locomotive boiler firebox, as illustrated, comprises a flue sheet 2, side'sheets 3,

3, a crown sheet 4; and a rear sheet 5. The

box itself ispositioned within the shell .6

I preferably build my arches of a plural ity of individual brick members, as large as may be conveniently passed throughthe fuel door 9, and yet small enough or light enough to behandled and positioned with ease.

The embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings comprises a plurality of longitudinally arranged sections or portions, viz., a middle or roof portionll, two intermediate or supporting sections 12 and two side or locking sections 13, and each of these sections includes a plurality of individual bricks. In the form shown, I raise the middle section above the other sections and incline it longitudinally in the firebox at an angle diiierent from the inclination of the tubes 10. While this middle section .might be arranged above and parallel with the tubes 10, or inclined in either direction relatively thereto, I have found that when it is inclined, as shown inthe drawings,-

with its lower end more distant from the tubes, the best results are obtained in the fireboxes to which this form of arch is adapted. The intermediate or supporting sections 12 of the arch lie fiat upon the tubes 10 and are supported thereby, thus forming a lateral portion of the arch at each side'of the middle portion and which is inc-lixied 'longitudinally in the. firebox atthe same angle as the tubes 10. Looking sections 13 are arranged between intermediate sections12 and the side sheets 3 and are inclined upwardly against the side sheets. In a sense they serve as wedges betweenthe main portion of the arch and the side sheets of the box to firmly maintain or lock the arch against lateral movement in the firebox. As stated, these various sections are each made up of a-plurality of individual bricks a, b and c,'respectively, which, when assembled in' lace to form the arch, also 'form a plurality of; transverse rows vidually locked between the. side sheetsjfof I the firebox.

I The firebox, as illustrated, is equipped-- with four arch tubes j 10 arranged in two: pairs, one at each side of the-box, that is, the space or span between pairs of tubes is greaterthan the space" i vidualztubes of each pair. The outer tubes ed comparatively close tothe si de sheets of t e firebox. This arrangement are" also arran etween" the indi- 111 building my arches ,1 first ast as of tubes is particularly adapted for use with arches embodying my invention for the reason that the middle or raised portion of the arch can be made of greater extent than Where the tubes are evenly spaced across the firebox. Each of the spans or rows 14 consists of one of the middle or roof bricks a,

two of the intermediate or supporting bricks b, and two of theend or locking bricks 0. All of these bricks, panels or slabs are so formed upon their meeting or abutting endsv that the completed row is self-lockedv between the side sheets of the firebox, and each individual brick thereof is firmly locked transversely in its proper position. a The supporting bricks b, as clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 7 are L-shaped, transverselyof the firebox, in section, having a longlegb and a short leg (2 Each of these bricks is arranged with its long leg spanning and resting upon a pair of tubes 10 and its short leg upstanding at its inner end in position to receivethe middle or roof brick a. The outer ends of the bricks b, and the inner ends of the locking bricks c, are each cut away to form an overlapping joint-between them, the supporting brick having alfllower projecting tongue or shelf b and the -lock 5 mg brick 0 being cut away on its lowerside-gto form an upper tongue or flange 0'- adapti- The bricks ed to rest upon saidshelf b. c are outwardly and upwardlydnclined against the side sheets and are tapered toC-a ward their outer ends both toreduce their weight and to reduce the area "of the side sheet which is covered by the abutting jend The roof or middle brick-{G is provided with endfianges 11" adapted to.- 7

of these bricks.

rest upon the upper-ends of the legs :bofthe supporting bricks. These bricks also project downwardly between the supportin bricks thereby forming overlapped joints. tween":

the supportingbricks and the roof bricks and providing abutments by meansofwhich the intermediate bricks are spaced apart.

The roof bricks a are"provided on their I under sides with large cavities a, which not only lighten the bricks a but also provide low, gas-mixing cavities or pockets.

the roof of the: arch. with a plurality df-shalclearly shown in Fig. 1, the shorterlegs 6 of the intermediate bricks are properly proportioned to give the middle section 11 '01" the arch its desired inclinationirAs shown-'- in said figures, the legs 6 of the bricks b, whicharecloser to thefiue sheet, are longer than those-bf the bricks-which are more dista'nt from the-flue sheet, thus relatively raising -"theiforward end of the middle-section 11 a greater distance from the tubes, adjacent of the intermediate bricks b in position upon the-tubes 10 adjacent to the fine sheet. I

with projections 71 adapted to abut the flue sheet and space these bricks therefrom. Upon these bricks I place one of the middle bricks a which not only closes the space between the bricks but also serves to space these bricks apart. I complete the first row 14 of the arch by placing a pair of the end bricks c in position between the outer ends of the bricks b and the side sheets 3. These bricks c are longer than the space between the ends of the bricks b and the side sheets, and hence occupy upwardly inclined positions wedgingly locking the main portion of the arch transversely in the firebox. Thereafter I place a second transverse row of bricks in position upon the tubes and resting against the first row, the arch being completed by additional rows suflicient in number to produce an arch of the desired length and height, which hei ht is determined by that which will pro we the best results in the firebox being equipped.

It will now be seen that arches can be built embodying my invention, with a minimum expenditure of labor and time, as they are built of a number of individual bricks which can be quickly placed in position; that they are capable of such modification as may be necessary to produce the most economical results in fuel consumption when considered in relation to the boiler being equipped; that these arches are capable of being easily repaired; that they are in a sense flexible, as their overlappin joints prevent them from becoming solidi ed into a rigid mass, and that portions of the arch can be easily removed when it is necessary to repair the stay bolts or the flues.

It will be readily understood that my invention is capable of embodiment in various structures and forms Without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefor do not limit my invention to the specific structures or combinations of elements herein shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A locomotive boiler firebox containing a group of arch tubes arranged substantially in a single inclined plane, in combination with a refractory front arch supported upon said tubes and comprising a central longitudinal section or portion supported above and at less pitch than the tubes, and side sections resting upon the tubes and supporting said middle section in position, said intermediate section having positive stop shoulders serving to space the side sections, the said central and side sections being locked between the side sheets of the firebox by wedge bricks extending between the side sections and the side sheets.

2. A refractory front arch for locomotive boiler furnaces comprising an arch body extending from side to side of the firebox and composed of a plurality of longitudinal rows of refractory bricks, one of which rows is centrally disposed in the firebox, and rows on either side thereof having upwardly extending portions having tops disposed longitudinally at an angle to the tubes and supporting said middle section at a longitudinal angle to the tubes.

3. A refractory front arch for locomotive boiler furnaces having a central longitudinal comparatively deep and wide channel in its underside of greater depth at the lower end than at the upper end, the top of said channel having a plurality of gas mixing pockets or cavities, substantially as described.

4. A refractory front arch for locomotive boiler furnaces having a group of arch tubes, comprising longitudinally arranged side sections, each of which rests upon two tubes and having upstanding flanges or walls on their opposed edges, the tops of said walls being inclined longitudinally to the plane of said tubes, and a middle section spanning said walls closing the spaces therebetween and having abutment shoulders engaging the side sections and holding them in proper spaced relation.

5. A refractory front arch for locomotive boiler furnaces having a parallel group of arch tubes, comprising longitudinally arranged side sections having thin upstanding walls at their opposed edges, said walls rising higher above the tubes at the front than at the rear end of the arch, and a central roof section resting on said walls, closing the opening therebetween and having abutment shoulders serving to hold the side sections in proper spaced relation.

6. A locomotive boiler firebox containing a group of arch tubes arranged substantially in a single inclined plane, in combination with a refractory front arch supported upon said tubes and comprising a central longitudinal section or portion supported above and at less pitch than the tubes, and side sections resting upon the tubes and supporting said middle section in position, and wedge bricks extending between said lsjde sections and the side sheets of the fire- 7. In a locomotive front arch, two parallel refractory side bricks having upstanding portions upon their opposed ends in combination with a refractory middle brick resting upon and presenting shouldered ends to said portions.

8. In a locomotive front arch, two parallel refractory side bricks having upstanding inclined portions upon their opposed ends in combination with a refractory middle brick resting upon and presenting shouldered ends to said portions.

9. In a locomotive front arch, two parallel refractory side bricks having upstanding portions upon their opposed ends and having shouldered outer ends in combination with a refractory middle brick resting upon and presenting shouldered ends to said portions, and side sheets engaging refractory bricks having inner ends formed to fit the shouldered outer ends of respective side bricks.

10. In a locomotive boiler firebox, the side sheets and the inclined water-circulating arch-tubes, in combination with two longitudinal rows of refractory bricks resting upon said tubes, other longitudinal rows of refractory bricks resting thereon and against respective side sheets, the bricks of the first mentioned rows having upstanding portions upon their inner ends, and a central longitudinal row of refractory bricks supported by and shouldered upon said portions.

11. In a locomotive boiler firebox, the side sheets and the inclined water-circulating arch-tubes, in combination with two longitudinal rows of refractory bricks resting upon said tubes and together presenting parallel upstanding portions having top surfaces of less pitch than said tubes, and a central longitudinal rou of refractory bricks supported by said upstanding portions of said rows.

12. A locomotive boiler firebox containing two pairs of inclined Water-circulating archtubes, in combination with a row of refractory bricks upon each pair of tubes, said bricks having upstanding portions upon their inner ends and a middle row of refractory bricks having shouldered ends resting upon said portions and spacing said rows apart.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 5th day of December, 1911, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES E. MOORE.

\Vitnesses:

CHARLES GILBERT HAWLEY, EDWARD F. WILsoN. 

